The Tell Tale Heart

On Friday, November 3rd, 7th grade ELA students held a murder trial featuring the narrator of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell Tale Heart."

In correspondence with Georgia Standards of Excellence and VECA's accelerated content curriculum, 7th grade students in Mrs. Sparks' classes used persuasive techniques to put together a court case after studying "The Tell Tale Heart" in depth. The students were divided into prosecution and defense teams. Each team was responsible for creating and performing an opening argument, witness testimonies, cross examinations, and closing arguments. Students also incorporated evidence which reflected critical thinking and comprehension of an upper-level text. In addition, Mr. Elder's and Mrs. Ross' high school literature and social studies classes evaluated the argument by serving as the jury for the trial. Ketrione Mitchell participated as the courtroom's bailiff. In 7A, the narrator was found guilty of murder in the first degree, but in 7B, the jury ruled the narrator not guilty by reason of insanity. The students learned that successful persuasion is as much about effective communication as it is about the evidence. Mrs. Sparks would like to thank the parents who came out to show support or helped their child prepare for this event. Great job, VECA!